Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

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The decay of morality shaped America at the turn of the 20th century. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald really symbolizes what it was truly like back then. The story is about the a man Nick Carraway and his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby. The story is filled with symbolism but the most important is "the green light". It represents envy, dreams for the future, and hope. Envy is represented very well through the green light. Gatsby is envious of tom the entire story but when he looks at the light he sees how he isn't with Daisy. "He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a …show more content…
Gatsby has a whole plan for Daisy and him to start a life together and he sees that every time he looks at the green light. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us". Nick says this at the end of the book. The quote means the the green light created a future for Gatsby that was unattainable. It was all in his mind and it could never happen. It was just a dream that Gatsby took too seriously. The green light mainly represents hope. The book makes this very known by showing how hopeful Gatsby is.
. This quote shows how Gatsby is different from others that live in New York and because of it Nick cares for him. His innocent gift of optimism for life is shown through the the green light. No one else is like this because Gatsby wasn't born rich and had to work hard for what he had. The green light gave him hope but in the end the hope lead to his end. Color symbolism is riddled throughout this book. Every color having its own meaning. The green light had a very important meaning to the story that made Gatsby who he was. He was hopeful for Daisy to love him and find him. There was a future that he created for Daisy and him. Lastly his envy of Tom and how he wasn't with Daisy. Everybody has there own green light that they long for and this is the reason the green light is so
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